Flying Start Degree Programme Review

Working as an auditor which involves going into the client and testing their financial statements to ensure that they are accurate and adhere to the relevant frameworks and accounting standards. This involves sitting at a desk all day working on a laptop. However, the teams and the clients that you visit do vary. Although in Aberdeen they are all based around oil.

You learn a lot about accounting and how to audit. As you work long hours you get a chance to experience different aspects of accounts. Also, due to the size of many of the clients you are no working on the same area all of the time and get to try different things.

I personally would not recommend it as the hours are so long and so there is no opportunity to have a life outside of work. Also for me, I do not like to sit at a desk all day and find the work very boring and the lifestyle generally miserable.

It is well organised in that you get set up very well for a job in accounting. However, whilst you get some choice over placements, they are driven by business need and so you can end up in places that you don't like with little or no option to change it.

In terms of your professional development, the employer is very good and will try to get you as good at your job as possible. However, in terms of wellbeing, the emphasis is more on working you hard than it is on any actual wellbeing policies. They do have some token wellbeing policies, but these involve eating lunch away from your desk which is minimal when you're working 10-12 hours a day.

The support is very good in working towards you qualifications and you are in a very good position coming out of university. Furthermore, whilst some people do fail, this is not an enormous number and so for the whole I would say that the support is not too bad, lots of the materials are funded by PwC.

The whole degree is geared towards this one job and so naturally, you do have the necessary skills and knowledge to complete it by the time that you graduate. In comparison to many accounting degrees, the work is a lot harder, but this does mean that are more knowledgeable and get a head start in the real world.

There is not really any social events in the office, once a month there is a drinks trolley and there is 5 a side football every Wednesday. However, because you are working long hours you have no time to socialise and when you do have time you are too tired and so want to rest.

No

I would not recommend PwC because whilst it may look good on your CV you are wasting the best years of your life working in an office. People I know that find audit interesting are put off it due to the relentless pressure and deadlines. Furthermore, whilst on this course at uni, you can't enjoy being a student as when you are there you are too busy revising for exams which are only worth the effort if you definitely want to work as an accountant.

Don't apply unless your 100% sure that its for you. If you fancy the money for the summers etc then it probably isn't worth is as you lose so much time at uni as mentioned in the above answer. It does however, set you up well for a career, but if this job isn't for you then you will waste university.